HND Computing Graduate: Karandeep Singh Dhillon

Karandeep spent 7 years studying Computing and IT at West London IoT, based at Uxbridge College. He graduated with a HND qualification and is working as an IT Support Specialist. Read on to find out why Karandeep chose to study here and the skills he has gained.  

I chose this college as it's one of the safest and friendliest environments to study and develop your skills for the next journey which you will be making (University or into a career). Not only were the teachers helpful to me, but the other staff members from the Student Support & Careers Team were also very supportive whenever I had any concerns or other problems. 

Yes I did work on interesting projects during my time at the College, both in HND (Higher National Diploma) in Computing & IT and when I did work experience with the E Learning Team. 

 

One of my first projects that I completed was with the E Learning team when I was on work experience during the summer holidays. I was working alongside another student to setup/configure the Chrome Books & then feeding the necessary information, such as the Asset Number, Configured By, Date Configured etc on the spreadsheets for the E Learning Manager. 

 

The other project that I had worked on was part of my course (HND) where I was able to choose what type of project to do. At that moment I was running a page on Instagram & Facebook for my community called UK Sikh Updates that didn't have an website. Due to that particular reason I chose to develop a responsive website so whenever a user is using a different device such as Mobile Phone or Laptop, it would create dynamic change to the appearance of the website depending on the screen size and the orientation of the device that is going to be used to view it. 

I have gained a lot of knowledge from my Computing & IT course. One of the best examples would be how to build and disassemble computer systems and then how to install & configure the different operating systems (Windows 7, 8 & 10). Other knowledge I gained is how to perform a hardware & software upgrades when it's necessary to do so. 

 

I also learned about networking; as to how I can keep my network in the organisation safe and secure from unauthorised users, as well as diagnosis and resolving problems. 

When working with ICF Consulting Services LTD in March 2020 as a IT Support Specialist, I enjoyed the fact that I was resolving new IT difficulties everyday - no day was the same. This meant I was always learning something new or either developing my confidence. 

 

I also enjoyed interacting with all sorts of customers to resolve their IT difficulties and then knowing that they were satisfied and happy with my service and at the same time contributing to their companies success. 

The advice I would like to give all current & future students that are thinking of doing IT as a career is that while you are studying try to get the relevant work experience in the field you plan to work in. For example, my future career plan was to work in an IT Support role and therefore with the Colleges support, I was able to do work experience with the E Learning team, which is very similar to an IT Support role. This decision was very beneficial when I started working as an IT Support Specialist with ICF Consulting Services as I knew what I was expected to do and what is required by me from the organisation. 

 

The other advice is to try and find other part time courses that could help you with your future IT career, for example if your future field is IT Support then it would be an great idea to have an look into ITIL & Comp TIA A+. If you state it in your CV that are qualified in ITIL & Comp TIA A+ or working towards this, then it would be an stepping stone into your career.